jumping to 2011 and other beliefs

According to the ancient wisdom of the Mayan calendar, we have a little over a year to get our act together.  We have to become better people than we are now and raise our astral vibrations to an enlightened level, so that we can stand by, unaffected, as the world flips its electro-magnetic axis or as a gargantuan asteroid plummets to Earth or the Feathered Serpent returns or the ice caps melt or aliens arrive or…or whatever is supposed to happen.

So, lets jump later like a frog for  a blissful 2011 ahead of us.It is  a favorite thing to do with children  to jump twelve times so they will get taller next year the higher you jump the taller you grow.

 Filipinos have other beliefs and practices which are associated and believed to bring good luck, fortune, and prosperity in the New Year.

• The noise and the firecrackers is believed to drive the evil spirit away and make the New Year bountiful and blessed.
• You should put coins/money in your pocket so that next year will be prosperous.
• You should open all the windows, doors lights so that all the graces will come to your home as you welcome the New Year.
• Some believe that you have to wear polka dots shirts or dress because it symbolise money, and it must have a deep pocket and filled with money bills and coins and jingled it at the stroke of midnight for good luck .
• Some people pay off their debts in the hope that they will not be saddled with debt throughout the year.

The countdown of New year varies from family to family or from region to region. At the strike of 12:00 midnight, the noise becomes defeaning, churchbells rings , firecrackers rules the sky, kids gaping in awe as they see the different firecrackers, blooming in the sky. The banging and booming rise to a climax which includes clanging of old pots and pans, blowing jeep, car or tricyle horns, ambulance sirens for full one minute as the countdown to New Year.

 The loud noises and sounds of merrymaking are not only meant to celebrate the coming of the New Year but are also supposed to drive away bad spirits.

Around 12:15 am, the noise stops and the air is filled with human voice and the family starts to eat a thanksgiving feast called Media Noche, it is believed that we should put as much food on the table so that next year you will have food all year round. Twelve round fruits should be on the table as it is a sign of prosperity for the next twelve months. There is also a midnight mass celebration to welcome the New Year and to thank God for all His blessings.

In some latin countries,  the fridge is  stashed with some juicy grapes, (pop twelve in your mouth and make a wish with each), they wear  special underwear (yellow for luck, red for passion and love), lentils to fill your pockets (for prosperity) and jewelry to drop into your champagne glass as you toast in 2011 (prosperity);  suitcases are  lined up ,  a brisk jog around the block at midnight, along with loads of cash in your wallet, and a good clean house. (Travel, financial luck and keeping the demonios away.)

In Brazil, wearing all white and jumping over seven waves at midnight promises love and luck. Devotees will also offer gifts, flowers and float candles on the ocean in honor of the Goddess of the Water. Fisherman take this one quite seriously following many superstitions involving the magic of the ocean. For example the amount of fish caught on New Year’s Day reflects the year of fishing ahead.

In Ecuador and a few other Latin American countries, there is the traditional burning of the “año viejo” which is represented as a large doll. These elaborate dolls, or home made crude straw figures, are sold on every street corner, and once purchased are often then made to look like a family member. The lucky family member chosen as the año viejo writes up a witty and rather silly will, of all the things he or she will leave behind and to whom. Often times these funny dolls are tied to cars and bicycles as the new year approaches. Then, at midnight of the new year, the dolls, or, the old year, are burned in big fires on the streets. Jumping over the burning dolls is said to bring luck.

Manigo at Masaganang Bagong Taon Sa Inyong Lahat !!!
A Happy and Prosperous New Year To All !!!

love and law.

So, how does the Philippine Supreme Court see love?

1. "If the two eventually fell in love, despite the disparity in their ages and academic levels, this only lends substance to the truism that the heart has reasons of its own which reason does not know." - Chua-Qua vs Clave 189 SCRA 117

2. "Statistics never lie, but lovers often do, quipped a sage. This sad truth has unsettled many a love transformed into matrimony. Any sort of deception between spouses, no matter the gravity, is always disquieting." - Antonio v. Reyes, G.R. No. 155800

3. Marital union is a two-way process. An expressive interest in each other's feelings at a time it is needed by the other can go a long way in deepening the marital relationship. Marriage is definitely not for children but for two consenting adults who view the relationship with love amor gignit amorem, respect, sacrifice and a continuing commitment to compromise, conscious of its value as a sublime social institution. - Chi Ming Tsoi v. Court of Appeals and Gina Lao- Tsoi, GR No. 119190

4. Love happens to everyone. It is dubbed to be boundless as it goes beyond the expectations people tagged with it. In love, “age does matter.” People love in order to be secure that one will share his/her life with another and that he/she will not die alone. Individuals who are in love had the power to let love grow or let love die – it is a choice one had to face when love is not the love he/she expected. - Padilla-Rumbaua v. Rumbaua, G.R. No. 166738

5. We cannot castigate a man for seeking out the partner of his dreams, for marriage is a sacred and perpetual bond which should be entered into because of love, not for any other reason. - Figueroa v. Barranco, Jr., SBC Case No. 519

6. “The nuptial vows which solemnly intone the matrimonial promise of love ‘(f)or better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part,’ are sometimes easier said than done, for many a marital union figuratively ends on the reefs of matrimonial shoals. In the case now before us for appellate review, the marriage literally ended under circumstances which the criminal law, disdainful of romanticism, bluntly calls the felony of parricide.” (People of the Philippines vs. Ruben Takbobo, GR No. 102984, 30 June 1993)

7. “The Court, like all well-meaning persons, has no desire to dash romantic fancies, yet in the exercise of its duty, is all too willing when necessary to raise the wall that tears Pyramus and Thisbe asunder.” (Concerned Employee vs. Glenda Espiritu Mayor, AM No. P-02-1564, 23 November 2004)

rape

As we have ruled before, this is a lame and flimsy defense which is unworthy of belief. Parental punishment is not enough reason for a daughter to falsely accuse her father of rape. It takes depravity for a young girl to concoct a story which would put her own father on death row and drag herself and the rest of her family to a lifetime of shame. Mere disciplinary chastisement is not strong enough to make daughters in a Filipino family invent a charge that would only bring shame and humiliation upon them and their own family and make them the object of gossip in the community.[People v. Ardon, G.R. Nos. 137753-56, March 16, 2001, 354 SCRA 609, 624.)

It would have been contrary to human experience for complainant to concoct a sordid tale of rape, exposing herself to the humiliation of a public trial on such a sensitive issue as her chastity, and in such a small community where the residents knew each other. The Court need not belabor the fact that the offended party in a rape case is a victim many times over in a culture that puts a premium on purity or virginity. Rape stigmatizes the victim more than the perpetrator ( people vs alvin  caparas G.R. No. 134633 april14, 2004 )

the absence of spermatozoa does not necessarily negate rape.People vs. Albior, 352 SCRA 35 [2001]. 

the lack of fresh lacerations in complainant’s private part was immaterial because proof of hymenal lacerations is not an element of rape People vs. Vidal, 353 SCRA 194 [2001].

QUOTABLE QUOTES FROM SC DECISIONS

"If the two eventually fell in love, despite the disparity in their ages and academic levels, this only lends substance to the truism that the heart has reasons of its own which reason does not know." -CHUA-QUA vs. CLAVE, G.R. No. 49549 August 30, 1990 

"Social justice is neither communism, nor despotism, nor atomism, nor anarchy, but the humanization of laws and the equalization of social and economic forces by the State so that justice in its rational and objectively secular conception may at least be approximated. Social justice means the promotion of the welfare of all the people, the adoption by the Government of measures calculated to ensure economic stability of all the component elements of society, through the maintenance of a proper economic and social equilibrium in the interrelations of the members of the community, constitutionally, through the adoption of measures legally justifiable, or extra-constitutionally, through the exercise of powers underlying the existence of all governments on the time-honored principle of salus populi est supremo lex."-CALALANG vs. WILLIAMS, G.R. No. 47800.  December 2, 1940

The Court feels that it is not enough to simply invoke the right to quality education as a guarantee of the Constitution: one must show that he is entitled to it because of his preparation and promise. -DepEd vs. SAN DIEGO, G.R. No. 89572 December 21, 1989




Retirement laws should be interpreted liberally in favor of the retiree because their intention is to provide for his sustenance, and hopefully even comfort, when he no longer has the stamina to continue earning his livelihood. After devoting the best years of his life to the public service, he deserves the appreciation of a grateful government as best concretely expressed in a generous retirement gratuity commensurate with the value and length of his services. That generosity is the least he should expect now that his work is done and his youth is gone. Even as he feels the weariness in his bones and glimpses the approach of the lengthening shadows, he should be able to luxuriate in the thought that he did his task well, and was rewarded for it. Santiago v. COA, G.R. No. 92284, July 12, 1991; cited in Bengzon v. Drilon, G.R. No. 103524 April 15, 1992

Statistics never lie, but lovers often do, quipped a sage. This sad truth has unsettled many a love transformed into matrimony. Any sort of deception between spouses, no matter the gravity, is always disquieting.-Antonio v. Reyes, G.R. No. 155800,  March 10, 2006

Marital union is a two-way process. An expressive interest in each other's feelings at a time it is needed by the other can go a long way in deepening the marital relationship. Marriage is definitely not for children but for two consenting adults who view the relationship with love amor gignit amorem, respect, sacrifice and a continuing commitment to compromise, conscious of its value as a sublime social institution. -Chi Ming Tsoi v. Court of Appeals and Gina Lao- Tsoi,  GR No. 119190, January 16, 1997

Love happens to everyone. It is dubbed to be boundless as it goes beyond the expectations people tagged with it. In love, “age does matter.” People love in order to be secure that one will share his/her life with another and that he/she will not die alone. Individuals who are in love had the power to let love grow or let love die – it is a choice one had to face when love is not the love he/she expected.  -Padilla-Rumbaua v. Rumbaua, G.R. No. 166738, August 14, 2009

We cannot castigate a man for seeking out the partner of his dreams, for marriage is a sacred and perpetual bond which should be entered into because of love, not for any other reason. -Figueroa v. Barranco, Jr., SBC Case No. 519, July 31, 1997


(http://philippinecasedigests.blogspot.com/p/blog-admins-favorite-quotes-from-sc.html)

Gospel of the Holy Family

 The gospel last night (Saint Matthew 2:13-15.19-23) was about the Feast of the Holy Family. And the priest asked "uso pa na sabay sabay nagsisimba ang buo pamilya? The he proceeded to preach that this traditional pinoy family practice influenced him to be a priest while his sister became a nun.

 I remember the story oftenly told by my father when he was alive, of how proud he was of us, his children. He often stressed that he had nothing to give to us but our future. We did not have money but we had the respect of people, especially the fact that two of his sons entered the priesthood, Fr. Philip and Fr. Stephen. I am still not used to calling them Father, i still prefer "Kuya Wel and Bengbeng.

In 1999 when i passed my bar exams, the same year . my elder  brother,   Kuya Welthy  or now Fr. Philip,  was ordained as priest.    Fr.Stephen  was ordained in 2008. At first Mama could not accept the fact that two sons chose to serve the lord but later realized, according to Papa, that they gave up two sons but regained the whole religious order as their new sons and daughters. Tuwang-tuwa sya pag tinatawag sila na Papa and Mama Gorecho.The story has it that if there is one priest in the family, the whole clan is blessed up to the third generation. In our case, we not only had one but two brothers into priesthood who belong to the same order, Oblates of Allaince of Twin Hearts (OATH). In some instances, they celebrate latin mass. Indeed, our faith and their vocation guided us.

FYI, i am now a benefactor of almost 40 seminarians. Every month i buy personal items for them 40 toothpaste, 40 soaps, 40 alcohols etc.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 2:13-15.19-23.

When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him."

Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt.

He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, "Out of Egypt I called my son."

When Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead."

He rose, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.

But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go back there. And because he had been warned in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee.

He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazorean."

my birthday 2008 lunch with the seminarians

Alecks pabico as a pulag spirit..

 (reposted from my facebook notes january 2010)

The plan to bring the ashes of my dear friend Alecks Pabico to Mt. Pulag almost did not push through due to several side issues. For one, we were a small group which became smaller as two backed out on the day of departure from manila. Second, I was not feeling well ( a flu-like condition) for the past days perhaps due to heavy partying during the holidays.

Nevertheless, I made a decision: We have to fulfill our promise to family of Alecks that we will bring his ashes to Mt.Pulag, the second highest mountain in the Philippines. Mira, the wife of alecks, delivered to us the package containing his ashes five minutes before our departure from manila last December 27, 2009. Speaking of photo finish, wheeewww….

My dear friend Alecks Pabico passed away due to liver cancer on Wednesday, 7 October 2009, 4:36 p.m. at the St. Luke’s Medical Center. He was 42 years old. Pabico was the editor-in-chief of the University of the Philippines-Diliman’s campus newspaper, the Philippine Collegian, from 1991 to 1992. I had the opportunity to work with him as photo editor during the earlier two terms.

 Until his last hours as a full person ( before he became ashes after his cremation), Alecks Pabico still brings smile and awe to other persons.  Imagine a funeral procession october 2009  from UP Chapel to the crematorium in Antipolo with Bob Marley's music being played instead of the traditional sad funeral songs. As we tailed the funeral car ( mira and the kids inside my car), I guess the people asked "Seryoso ba ito na patay ang nasa loob ng funeral car?" And when mira and I heard the fave song of Alecks (Three Little Birds), i recalled some of his last words to Mira as lifted from the song "Dont worry about a thing, cause every little thing gonna be all right"

The eight member team composed of me, Pinky Serafica ( a CEGP alumni), Dr.Wes Dulawan, Rex Barrer (UP Mountaineer), my cousin Perla Parreno-Datiles and husband triathlete Mao Datiles, and fellow mountaineers Del and Gaudi.

I thought my hiking days was over as I already refrained from engaging in this activity for health reasons. Due to my eye condition (retinal detachment risk) doctors have advised that I avoid stressful physical activities that in the end may cause my blindness. The remedy: to hire a porter at P250.00per day..

Pulag, which means “bald,” is the highest peak of the mountain, which is predominantly grassland. With an elevation of 2,930 meters (9,612 feet) above sea level, its 11,500-hectare area is within the Gran Cordillera Forest Reserve. The borders between the provinces of Benguet, Ifugao, and Nueva Vizcaya meet at the mountain's peak.

We arrived at our campsite shortly before 5:00 p.m. after almost three hours of hiking from the Ranger station. As we will wake up very early the next morning, we slept at around 7:30 p.m. To help me sleep, I stargazed for a while reminiscing my other pulag trips, this being my fifth climb. The last one was in 2004, which was a “disaster” since it was very wet and cold. No sunrise for us that time.

Wake up call at 3:30 a.m. Then we started our assault at 4:20 a.m. with our headlamps. We reached the summit after an hour, just on time for the sunrise. The weather was perfect as if it cooperated with our endeavor. It was not wet or raining, and not windy. I was later informed that for the past three or four years, many mountaineers suffered the same fate I had in 2004: wet pulag trek with no sunrise.

The ashes were then scattered by three persons close to Alecks: me, pinky and rex.

Historian William Henry Scott (whom i had the privilege to meet in Sagada in the early 90s when he was still alive) said that when a person dies, his soul does not die but becomes a spirit (anito) that then lives in the village, especially in the caves or rocky places where its former body is entombed. Nature spirits, he said, inhabit stones, water courses and trees, and are generally beneficial or neutral, doing misfortune only to those who do physical violence to their dwelling places.The Ibalois believed that pulag is a sacred mountain where the gods dwelled and where the soul will finally meet Kabunian, Supreme Being of the Cordilleras. As such, even such normal human activities as shouting, defecating, picking wild plants, and even kissing are prohibited in the area, lest these anger the gods.

On my way down, I met a family from Baguio who incidentally scattered the ashes of their 22-year old brother who died last July.I joked that what if their ashes mixed while being scattered? They will be perpetual playmates :)

With Alecks’ ashes now united with the flora and fauna of magnificent Mt.Pulag, he can now be identified, to some extent, as one of the “nature spirits.”

quiet christmas

"Slow down and everything you are chasing will come around and catch you."  

Perhaps this is a very untimely message for me during my "partyless"
birthday and christmas."House arrest" for me since i was diagnosed to have
pneumonia. I have to forego several parties as i recuperate from said illness. 

On my birthday, i just stayed home updating my blog and watching DVDs. It very different from my previous birthday celebrations like when i held my "themed parties"in a spa, art galllery, garden, jazz bar etc. I likewise failed to  travel this year to the seminary of my brother priest, Fr. Stephen, in Laguna where i usually bring lunch to the seminarians after my brother celebrates my birthday mass. FYI, i am now a benefactor of almost 40 seminarians. Every month i buy personal items for them 40 toothpaste, 40 soaps, 40 alcohols etc.

I

 

In my recent birthday blog, i underscored that one's 40th birthday welcomes you into the beautiful "middle age." as eighty is known as the expected life expectancy of a person, generally speaking.  This age does not have the casual immaturity of the youth, nor does it have the constant dependency of old age.

 

On christmas day, i visited Manila Memorial Park in Paranaque to visit my parents,  more popularly known as Ponching and Linda. My last christmas with my mother was in 2001 since she died May 17, 2002 while 2002 was for papa since he followed mama in november 2003. After my visit, I attended the mass wherein the gospel said "The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him."

 The last christmas  family reunion of the reyes clan that they attended together  was December 2002 . My Reyes clan seriously practiced the biblical saying "go and multiply" as we were 40 plus cousins. Days after, the Gorecho clan likewise held its first sort of grand reunion in cavite. Duiring this year's traditional gathering of the Reyes Clan, i distributed my personalized gifts showcasing my various froggie designs.

reyes clan 2002 christmas picture

I remember when we were still kids that   it was only during Christmas when the Gorecho kids would have  brand-new clothes . Our Titas would buys  us clothings on an installment basis - one Tita would buy us pants while another took care of the shirts. Never mind the shoes, andyan naman ang Bangkal.Long before ukay-ukay became famous, we were already wearing second hand clothes and shoes, sleeping on beds, sitting on chairs and sofas that papa bought from the secondhand shops in Bangkal. We became the walking models for ukay-ukay

 Unlike my other cousins who received gifts from their ninong and ninang, i sort of envied them for the gifts they open during xmas since i barely knew who are my godparents.Thus, my question at that young age: why  few  gifts to open for me, sometime none at all.

"Life begins at forty." A quiet start for me.

'Merry Christmas' In Different Languages

Christmas is celebrated the world over and people exchange gifts and wishes too. We present you a list of how to wish to your friends, neighbors, colleagues and loved ones, 'Merry Christmas' or 'Happy New Year' or both in more than 100 languages!

Afrikaans	Gesëende Kersfees
Afrikander	Een Plesierige Kerfees
African/ Eritrean/ Tigrinja	Rehus-Beal-Ledeats
Albanian	Gezur Krislinjden
Arabic:	Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah
Argentine:	Feliz Navidad
Armenian:	Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand
Azeri:	Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun
Bahasa Malaysia:	Selamat Hari Natal
Basque:	Zorionak eta Urte Berri On!
Bengali:	Shuvo Naba Barsha
Bohemian:	Vesele Vanoce
Brazilian:	Boas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo
Breton:	Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat
Bulgarian:	Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo
Catalan:	Bon Nadal i un Bon Any Nou!
Chile:	Feliz Navidad
Chinese: (Cantonese)	Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun
Chinese: (Mandarin)	Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan
Choctaw:	Yukpa, Nitak Hollo Chito
Columbia:	Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo
Cornish:	Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth
Corsian:	Pace e salute
Crazanian:	Rot Yikji Dol La Roo
Cree:	Mitho Makosi Kesikansi
Croatian:	Sretan Bozic
Czech:	Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok
Danish:	Glædelig Jul
Duri:	Christmas-e- Shoma Mobarak
Dutch:	Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! or Zalig Kerstfeast
English:	Merry Christmas
Eskimo: (inupik)	Jutdlime pivdluarit ukiortame pivdluaritlo!
Esperanto:	Gajan Kristnaskon
Estonian:	Ruumsaid juulup|hi
Faeroese:	Gledhilig jol og eydnurikt nyggjar!
Farsi:	Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad
Finnish:	Hyvaa joulua
Flemish:	Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw jaar
French:	Joyeux Noel
Frisian:	Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it Nije Jier!
Galician:	Bo Nada
Gaelic:	Nollaig chridheil agus Bliadhna mhath ùr!
German:	Froehliche Weihnachten
Greek:	Kala Christouyenna!
Hausa:	Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara!
Hawaiian:	Mele Kalikimaka
Hebrew:	Mo'adim Lesimkha. Chena tova
Hindi:	Shub Naya Baras
Hausa:	Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara!
Hawaian:	Mele Kalikimaka ame Hauoli Makahiki Hou!
Hungarian:	Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket
Icelandic:	Gledileg Jol
Indonesian:	Selamat Hari Natal
Iraqi:	Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah
Irish:	Nollaig Shona Dhuit or Nodlaig mhaith chugnat
Iroquois:	Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson honungradon nagwutut. Ojenyunyat osrasay.
Italian:	Buone Feste Natalizie
Japanese:	Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto
Jiberish:	Mithag Crithagsigathmithags
Korean:	Sung Tan Chuk Ha
Latin:	Natale hilare et Annum Faustum!
Latvian:	Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus un Laimi'gu Jauno Gadu!
Lausitzian:	Wjesole hody a strowe nowe leto
Lettish:	Priecigus Ziemassvetkus
Lithuanian:	Linksmu Kaledu
Low Saxon:	Heughliche Winachten un 'n moi Nijaar
Macedonian:	Sreken Bozhik
Maltese:	IL-Milied It-tajjeb
Manx:	Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa
Maori:	Meri Kirihimete
Marathi:	Shub Naya Varsh
Navajo:	Merry Keshmish
Norwegian:	God Jul or Gledelig Jul
Occitan:	Pulit nadal e bona annado
Papiamento:	Bon Pasco
Papua New Guinea:	Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas na Nupela yia i go long yu
Pennsylvania German:	En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr!
Peru:	Feliz Navidad y un Venturoso Año Nuevo
Philipines:	Maligayan Pasko!
Polish:	Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia or Boze Narodzenie
Portuguese:	Feliz Natal
Pushto:	Christmas Aao Ne-way Kaal Mo Mobarak Sha
Rapa-Nui (Easter Island):	Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi. Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua
Rhetian:	Bellas festas da nadal e bun onn
Romanche (sursilvan dialect):	Legreivlas fiastas da Nadal e bien niev onn!
Rumanian:	Sarbatori vesele
Russian:	Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom
Sami:	Buorrit Juovllat
Samoan:	La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou
Sardinian:	Bonu nadale e prosperu annu nou
Serbian:	Hristos se rodi
Slovakian:	Sretan Bozic or Vesele vianoce
Sami:	Buorrit Juovllat
Samoan:	La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou
Scots Gaelic:	Nollaig chridheil huibh
Serb-Croatian:	Sretam Bozic. Vesela Nova Godina
Serbian:	Hristos se rodi.
Singhalese:	Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa
Slovak:	Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok
Slovene:	Vesele Bozicne. Screcno Novo Leto
Spanish:	Feliz Navidad
Swedish:	God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År
Tagalog:	Maligayamg Pasko. Masaganang Bagong Taon
Tami:	Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal
Trukeese:	(Micronesian) Neekiriisimas annim oo iyer seefe feyiyeech!
Thai:	Sawadee Pee Mai
Turkish:	Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
Ukrainian:	Srozhdestvom Kristovym
Urdu:	Naya Saal Mubarak Ho
Vietnamese:	Chung Mung Giang Sinh
Welsh:	Nadolig Llawen
Yugoslavian:	Cestitamo Bozic
Yoruba:	E ku odun, e ku iye'dun!

my personalized froggy xmas gifts

toiletry organizer

pouch bags

pouch bags

hand towels

nd

foldable fans

shoulder bags horizontal

bodyhug bags

Grocery bags

Life begins at Forty...

(note: this article was written in December 2010 when i celebrated my 40th birthday)

"Life begins at forty." A popular saying that i have now to see for  myself as today, i now belong to said age group.

I always wondered what's the rationale for said phrase. Upon browsing the net, i learned that one's 40th birthday welcomes you into the beautiful "middle age." as eighty is known as the expected life expectancy of a person, generally speaking.  This age does not have the casual immaturity of the youth, nor does it have the constant dependency of old age. You can enjoy your 40th birthday in quiet reflection on the four decades of a beautiful life. It is the time for you to enjoy the little moments rather than focus on bigger events.

The number forty has many Old Testament Biblical references:

•the forty days and nights God sent rain in the great flood of Noah (Genesis 7:4);
•the forty days Moses spent on Mount Sinai with God (Exodus 24:18);
 

•the forty years the Hebrew people wandered in the desert while traveling to the Promised Land (Numbers 14:33);
•the forty days Jonah in his prophecy of judgment gave the city of Nineveh in which to repent (Jonah 3:4).
•the forty days and nights Elijah spent walking to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8);
AND, Jesus retreated into the wilderness, where he fasted for forty days, and was tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1-2, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-2).

So what are the significant events in my four decades of existence? Perhaps, this piece is a sort of biographical journey of where i am now. Just click the underscore to see the links of the blogs and pictures thereof.Come leap with me through time..

DECADE ONE: (1970 to 1980) THE GORECHO UKAY UKAY KIDS

 I was born December 21, 1970 to Ponching Gorecho and Linda Reyes, second in their five siblings. A Sagittarian under the Year of the Dog.  Mama said that among her children, she had the most difficult time in giving birth to me because i have a "big head."  Before i was to be baptized in January 16, 1971, they said  that my lolo wanted a pinoy name for me using the calendar, which he wanted to be PROCOPIO. Thank God lolo's suggestion was not granted by mama and papa or else i will have the nickname "PROCKY" . My Reyes clan seriously practiced the biblical saying "go and multiply" as we were 40 plus cousins. On the other hand, i attempted to make the family tree of the Gorecho clan as i usually tell people that i am proud of my Boholano roots. The Gorecho is a Galician surname meaning it was patterned from the inhabitants of Galicia , Spain .

We are  five kids, four boys  and one girl  .  Papa too had the same number of siblings: they are four boys in a row and the youngest was also a girl. I was the counterpart of Papa being the second to the eldest. People wonder why we have several stuff in our house which Papa did not want to dispose, especially the shoes. Papa justified this by saying that while he was growing up, he never had the luxury of owning new ones since both he and mama came from a family with very modest means. He tried to instill this in us such that long before ukay-ukay became famous, we were already wearing second hand clothes and shoes, sleeping on beds, sitting on chairs and sofas that papa bought from the secondhand shops in Bangkal. Seldom did we wear brand-new clothes, except maybe during Christmases when our Titas bought us clothing on an installment basis - one Tita would buy us pants while another took care of the shirts. Never mind the shoes, andyan naman ang Bangkal. We became the walking models for ukay-ukay.

DECADE TWO: (1981 to 1990) THE BAGETS NERD AND UP AKTIBISTA

 In 1984, I finished  primary school at Gen. Pio Del Pilar Elementary School as salutatorian. Four years later, I became the Valedictorian of  batch87 of TAKLA , the slang for Sta. Clara Parish School, which at that time  is known as the "only catholic school for boys" in Pasay. It was our growing up period, aptly depicted by the then BAGETS movie. In 2012, our batch will celebrate our 25th year silver anniversary, which will coincide with the 50th year of TAKLA.

Then from 1987 to 1991, i became one of the so-called "Iskolar ng Bayan" as  part of the UP Diliman studentry when i took BS. Economics.  Basically, I became attached to three main organizations , Economics Society or ECOSOC, Philippine Collegian or KULE, and SAMASA Alliance as well as the College Editors Guild of the Philippines or CEGP .My relatives and friends usually asked me "bakit ka ba naging aktibista". Perhaps my answer will be because UP is the perfect place to grow in all aspects, whether it be politically, socially, etc. Yes, I myself became part of UP Activisim movement. And i am proud that it made me a better person. Perhaps, members of the various generation of activism has their own way of reminiscing such so era."Iba nung panahon namin"...My passion for photography likewise developed.

DECADE THREE: (1991 to 2000): THE LAW STUDENT - JOURNALIST

I entered UP College of Law in 1992 and earned  my law degree in 1998. I shifted from the day class to the  evening class to be part of the  "working student" species of lawyers. I write for TODAY as one of their regular reporter as well as international news agencies like Reuters, AFP, AP, UPI and others covering a wide range of topics such as environment, human rights, politics, peace process, agriculture, agrarian reform and many more . Take note: my daily schedule is writing in the morning and the afternoon before going to UP to attend my classes in the evening. Then I go home where I read the assignments for the following day during the almost two hours trip of the bus going to Las Pinas. In between my work and classes, I still go hiking with my friends called the Squakings or SKWAKS

In August23, 1997 i was kidnapped  which i wrote in my piece "Face to Face with Crime"  “SIGE, tumakbo ka na ng mabilis at huwag kang lilingon at baka barilin pa kita (Run, Run fast and don’t turn back or I’ll shoot you).” The words could be apart of a movie script, but these were in fact words of my abductors . To me, words of freedom.

In April 1999, i am officially Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho, the lawyer,  after the Supreme Court posted the successful passers. I chronicled my experience in taking the 1998 bar exams in "Notes in Bar Exams."

In the same year. my elder  brother, my Kuya Welthy  or now Fr. Philip,  was ordained as priest.  Two of the Gorecho  sons entered the priesthood, the other the youngest son Melvin/ Beng or now called   Fr.Stephen. At first Mama could not accept the fact that two sons chose to serve the lord but later realized, according to Papa, that they gave up two sons but regained the whole religious order as their new sons and daughters. Tuwang-tuwa sya pag tinatawag sila na Papa and Mama Gorecho.The story has it that if there is one priest in the family, the whole clan is blessed up to the third generation. In our case, we not only had one but two brothers into priesthood who belong to the same order, Oblates of Allaince of Twin Hearts (OATH). In some instances, they celebrate latin mass. Indeed, our faith and their vocation guided us.

DECADE FOUR: (2000 to 2010): THE LAWYER AND THE FROG PRINCE

In 2001 started collecting frogs which were  featured several times in different TV programs such as Mel and Joey and SaPulso, thus earning me the several titles such as Frog Prince, Atty. Kokak and now Kapitan Kokak.Perhaps this froggy character is perfect for my penchant to travelling and taking of jump shots.

May 17, 2002, my mother died of lymphoma, three days after she celebrated her 61st birthday. One and a half year later, or on November 16, 2003, Papa followed after he died due to complications of diabetes. I wrote a piece called "Kamatis Love Story of Ponching and Linda" to immortalize their love to one another

In 2001 i joined the  law firm, Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan Law office  which is now on its 34th year with a battery of eighteen t lawyers : four partners plus seven in manila, three in iloilo, one in cebu, one in cagayan de oro and two in davao.. Hoping for a more prosperous 35th year in existence. 2011 is my tenth year in the office. I am now head of the seafarers' department wherein one of my focus is delivering paralegal lectures on seafarers' rights to the various stakeholders, the seafarers and their families as well as the maritime schools.  Ironically, even if our firm deals with intellectual property, i am an afficionado of Quiapo DVDs.

As Cicero said :  This wine is forty years old. It certainly doesn't show its age. (Latin: Hoc vinum Falernum fannorum quadragenta est. Bene aetatem fert.).